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Google launched Search by Image last year, and then updated algorithms for it almost every week since, but now the search engine will use its Knowledge Graph to power the popular feature.
Search by Image allows users input an image, and then Google offers images and search results related to that image. Users select an image through the ‘ole drag-and-drop, and then uploading, or even inputting a URL. Meanwhile, the Knowledge Graph is new technology that allows Google to provide search results for concepts linked between words, rather than showing results for just the query term.
Software Engineer Sean O’Malley explained the inclusion on Google’s Inside Search blog today:
With the recent launch of the Knowledge Graph, Google is starting to understand the world the way people do. Instead of treating webpages as strings of letters like “dog” or “kitten,” we can understand the concepts behind these words. Search by Image now uses the Knowledge Graph: if you search with an image that we’re able to recognize, you may see an extra panel of information along with your normal search results so you can learn more. This could be a biography of a famous person, information about a plant or animal, or much more.
Google wants to improve its image search. When a user uploads an image of a specific type of flower, for instance, Google would previously give general flower search results. Now, Google will try to guess the exact type of flower. Google will also show the most recent content in search results, which is helpful for news images.
“Finding more information about an image is the most common use of Search by Image. Very often this information is found on websites that contain either your image or images that look like it,” O’Malley wrote. “We’ve made recent improvements to our freshness, so when photos of major news stories start appearing on the Internet, you can often find the news stories associated with those photos within minutes of the stories being posted. We’ve also expanded our index so you can find more sites that contain your image and information related to it.”
Search by Image with Knowledge Graph was touched upon at the Google I/O developers conference last week when Director of Google Apps Product Management Clay Bavor showed off Google Drive and Chrome OS for iOS and Android. The Mountain View, Calif.-based Company’s effort at improving Search by Image results also surfaced in a recent New York Times piece about Googlers who built a simulation of the human brain that identifies cats in YouTube videos.
Researchers created “one of the largest neural networks for machine learning by connecting 16,000 computer processors, which they turned loose on the Internet to learn on its own.” More specifically, Google turned the “brain” to 10 million images found in YouTube videos about cats. The brain eventually constructed a digital patchwork of a cat by cropping general features from the millions of images that it identified. Google noted the method could eventually prove useful in image search, speech recognition, and language translation.
- Google explains what its Panda algorithm is looking for when it ranks search results (9to5google.com)
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Marketing at the Summer Olympics — Are the Brand Restrictions Too Much?
The world’s finest athletes aren’t the only ones anxiously awaiting tonight’s opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Sponsors have a lot riding on the line as well.
Marketing, advertising and other media professionals across the globe are working furiously to ensure that all details are perfect for the 30th Olympiad. Their goal is a gold medal of a different kind, and they will roll out a myriad of campaigns for their brands that will take place during the Olympic Games — many of which launched in the weeks leading up to today.
For these companies, the Olympics represents a hugely significant investment in time, money and resources. For example, Coca Cola began its Olympics promotion in May 2011. It’s an opportunity that brands are willing to pay heavily for because it offers global exposure, and it must be maximized.
Sponsors are a vital part of the support infrastructure for the games. Over the years, the Olympics has been taking increasing measures to protect its advertisers. In London though, it seems that the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) might be taking things a bit too far.
In preparation for the Olympic torch being carried through Britain’s small villages, towns and cities, LOCOG held an advance party to “clean up” the streets and ensure that any unapproved branding or advertising from unofficial companies wasn’t on the route.
During the games, LOCOG will protect sponsors by providing a 35-day “Brand Exclusion Zone” that will be set up and enforced around all Olympic venues and a surrounding five-mile area. Inside these areas no brands that compete with official sponsors can advertise. But, it’s more than that. Spectators trying to pay with the wrong credit card, for example, will have their plastic currency rejected. And I dare you to take your chance getting in if you’re wearing Nike sneakers, as Adidas is the official athletic wear sponsor of the games.
LOCOG has even been attempting to regulate social media during the games using a 70,000 person volunteer force. Olympic athletes are under strict supervision and are prohibited from uploading pictures or footage, and they also can’t post reports about their own performances.
It may surprise many to know that these restrictions are harsher than those instituted during the 2008 summer games in China. I wonder what will be the outcome of these restrictions in today’s digital age when all attendees basically have their own mobile computer, camera and social media hub in their pocket.
Posted in Blog

domain: news


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Citi has introduced a series of new offerings designed to streamline its retail banking business.
The new services, announced Wednesday (Aug. 23), come weeks after the banking giant reported a jump in revenue from its personal banking business.
Among these services is something called “Relationship Tiers,” which Citi compared to a hotel or airline rewards program.
According to a company news release, “as a customer’s combined average monthly balance grows, clients may unlock Relationship Tiers, allowing access to more benefits and services.”
This includes enhanced benefits and services such as waived monthly service fees on sayings and checking accounts, professional financial planning and waived Citi fees at non-Citi ATMs.
The bank is also offering customers who aren’t in a Relationship Tier the chance to avoid monthly service fees by making direct deposits of $250 or more to their checking account or having an average monthly balance of $500 or more in their savings account or by owning both a checking and savings account.
“These latest changes are designed to create a more seamless experience for our customers and make it easier for them to get personalized advice and access their finances,” said Craig Vallorano, Citi’s head of retail banking.
Last month, Citigroup reported an 11% increase in revenue from its U.S. personal banking business in the second quarter of 2022.
The rise in revenue for the world’s second-largest credit card issuer was attributed to higher interest rates and larger card balances, with those gains outweighing a 78% increase in consumer loan write-offs.
“Amid a challenging macroeconomic backdrop, we continued to see the benefits of our diversified business model,” Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser said in a news release, adding that the bank’s “cards businesses had double-digit growth due to strong engagement.”
Meanwhile, PYMNTS reported earlier this year on the “golden opportunity” facing traditional banks to become trusted advisers to clients by investing in digital banking.
“For all consumers’ overwhelming interest in digital financial tools, it is worth noting that just 9% of banking customers have their primary bank accounts with digital-only banks,” PYMNTS wrote in February.
“Consumers are still disinclined toward exclusively digital banking experiences, continually expressing a need for contact with a real person in a branch, on the phone or via chat.”
These consumers are also very worried about their finances, with more than half wanting their banks to proactively contact them if their spending habits put them at risk.
“This complex combination of preferences represents a powerful advantage for traditional banks,” the report said. “By negotiating a balance between the human element and innovation, formerly legacy banks can be everywhere their customers need them to be.”


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Cyber attackers have accessed eBay customers' names and contact details, the company said in a statement.
eBay said: "The database, which was compromised between late February and early March, included eBay customers’ name, encrypted password, email address, physical address, phone number and date of birth.
"However, the database did not contain financial information or other confidential personal information."
The online auction site said evidence of the hack was first detected about two weeks ago, but it was now making the announcement after "extensive forensics".
More top news
Another cold night to come before temperatures slowly start to recover throughout the coming week.


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“It’s a volatile environment. We used to say, two steps forward and one step back. The third quarter indeed was one of these quarters that is one step back for Carlsberg when it posted flat volume growth. It was impacted by price and excise tax increase in a couple of states," Hart said at an investor call last week.
Enlisting the reasons why 46% of respondents wanted a uniform drinking age of 21 years, a study by Kantar and NFX said it would enable them to be aware of their limits of responsible alcohol consumption. It indicated that a growing number of Indian consumers are willing to indulge in responsible drinking provided certain barriers are addressed.
Liquor trade’s hangover from the slowdown is similar to FMCG failing to take a bigger bite out of consumer spend, again thanks to liquidity issues. Hindustan Unilever had last month said trade was facing an acute liquidity crunch. Analysts expect liquor sales to remain subdued for the rest of the fiscal.
The maker of Absolut vodka and Chivas Regal scotch had gross sales of Rs 20,335 crore in the year-to-March 2019, latest filing sourced from Veratech showed. Pernod's growth numbers outpaced Diageo's Indian business that grew 10% in revenues.
A host of factors have taken a toll on liquor sales recorded till September. Last year's high base along with floods and an economic slump has seen consumption taking a hit. General elections also impacted the sales in April & June.
The sale of spirits has been hit by a host of factors like high taxation, restrictive pricing, sporadic prohibitions, among others. India is one of the most profitable regions for Pernod globally and ranks next to the US and China.
Eight-day rule framed by the excise department to control bootlegging and adulteration of premium Vodka and whisky brands has caused a furore among the resto-bars owners in the capital. Bar owners are worried that they would end-up with huge losses.


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An all-day, online event is being held Friday to help business owners in Virginia pick up some knowledge that will help them recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual event, SparkJam 2020, will feature about 25 speakers and live music.
It is being organized by The Rocket Factory, a strategic marketing company in Richmond, along with several other businesses such as Elevation and Profit Optics, Virginia Commonwealth University’s da Vinci Center for Innovation and Activation Capital, a nonprofit that supports startups and entrepreneurs in the Richmond region.
People can sign up for the event at www.therocketfactory.net/sparkjam. Tickets are $10, and proceeds will benefit the Virginia 30 Day Fund, a nonprofit created in April to help support businesses affected by the pandemic by giving them a $3,000 forgivable loan.
“We have tried to create a festival feel as much as we can,” said Todd Feldman, founder of The Rocket Factory. “We are hoping people float in and out. They can come in and get some energy from it.”
“We are trying to pass on some knowledge and trying to create a spark and the energy for us to go forward in a new way,” he said.
The event kicks off at 8 a.m. Friday and will include panel discussions with entrepreneurs, business strategists, educators and community leaders on topics such as business innovation and how companies can adapt to challenging times.
Afternoon sessions include discussions of how the arts community is adjusting, how nonprofits can innovate and how Virginia’s tourism and hospitality industry can adapt.
The event will conclude with live music featuring singer-songwriter Landon Elliott and singer-songwriter Saw Black.


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China's SAIC Motor says March auto sales up 17 pct yr-on-yr
(Reuters) - Top Chinese automaker SAIC Motor Corp said on Monday its March auto sales rose 17.4 percent from a year earlier to 462,508 vehicles.
That compares with a 2 percent year-on-year slip in February though figures were skewed due to the timing of the week-long Spring Festival holiday.
SAIC operates car ventures with General Motors Co and Volkswagen AG.
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In the non-investor world, folks usually take time to mourn someone's death. However, that doesn't appear to be the case with Bio-Rad Laboratories ($BIO), a company that makes diagnostics and life sciences research-related equipment.
Company co-founder and Chairman David Schwartz died April 1 at age 88. The Hercules, CA-based company issued a respectful statement a day later, noting that Schwartz founded Bio-Rad in 1952 with his wife Alice, and under his leadership "Bio-Rad continued to broaden its product lines and expand its geographical markets."
But as Bloomberg reports, investors are having a field day over speculation that the company may be willing to sell itself to a suitable bidder. The stock price soared more than 11% on Tuesday, to $114.25, as the story notes, and the price remained high in trading early Wednesday. (Was the body even cold yet?)
Here's the drama behind the story: Bio-Rad remains a family-run company, but some investors clearly want this situation to change. That may not be an easy thing to accomplish, however. Bio-Rad Treasurer Ron Hutton told Bloomberg that the company isn't for sale, and he expects the family would continue its involvement even though Schwartz has passed away. Also, at least one expert told Bloomberg that long-term investors likely aren't interested in selling the company. Importantly, the family also still controls a majority of Bio-Rad's voting shares. But other investors and some industry observers don't believe for a minute that the company won't be sold, Dougherty & Co. analyst Junaid Husain told the news service.
"The prevailing wisdom is that the day David Schwartz passes away is the day this company is in play," Husain is quoted as saying in the Bloomberg story. Also, current CEO Norman Schwartz, (David Schwartz's son) is thought to be more agreeable to selling the company than his father was, Husain added.
So who would buy the company? Husain speculates that Life Technologies ($LIFE) might be a suitable bidder for Bio-Rad. It would be quite a catch. Bio-Rad has 7,000 employees around the world and more than $2 billion in 2011 sales, according to the company.
(Photo of Mr. Schwartz courtesy of Bio-Rad)
- here's the Bloomberg story
- consider Bio-Rad's announcement of their founder's passing


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Announcing a new partnership with @IBM designed to leverage AI to enable companies to make smarter decisions, faste… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…
Salesforce World Tour New York Highlights in 60 Seconds
Making B2B Sales Efforts Count Requires More Than Just Counts sforce.co/1xgNo7F
Taking office artwork to a new level – check out the lobby of one of our HQ offices!
Welcome to the Age of the Customer


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Samsung is rumored to be privately showing a new slider phone at CES 2020 — one that can expand its screen size from regular candy bar to mini-tablet size by just stretching it. It’s a slider phone — but unlike any we've seen before.
We saw a brief revival of the slider phone last year, with devices like the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, the Oppo Find X, and the Honor Magic 2. But this is a different beast. Those phones just allowed you to move the screen to reveal the hidden selfie camera, thus eliminating any need for top bezels, notches or punch holes.
But Samsung’s “slider” doesn’t move the entire the display to show a hidden element. It actually expands its screen. As the Korean electronics industry newspaper ET News reports, Samsung’s secret slider device uses a flexible panel to increase the display’s real estate from a normal 6-inch phone to a 8-inch mini tablet.
“The slide panel developed by Samsung Display is characterized by the fact that the screen naturally grows and shrinks when the button is pressed,” the paper reports. Just like LG’s rollable TV. The screen doesn’t have a glass surface like the rumored Galaxy Fold 2 but a regular plastic skin.
If this sounds familiar to you, it’s because the phone’s rollable design was patented last July. In fact, the company patented not only one but two expandable sliders: one with that expands horizontally — which makes sense — and one that expands vertically — which is pretty damn weird — and doesn’t seem very useful.
The wacky world of Samsung’s phone patents
Knowing that this device may have become a reality — even in prototype form to test the press’ opinion waters — makes me a happy nerd. Especially knowing that Samsung has been patenting the weirdest things.
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Then you have the Galaxy Z-Fold, which folds not only once but twice for a treasure map triptych design.
There’s also one with dual dettachable magnetic screens and a winged one that looks like Xiaomi’s foldable prototype. The company is even toying with the idea of a phone that turns into a wearable wristband.
I don’t know how many of these things will pan out or gain any traction in the market, but kudos to Samsung for thinking and trying crazy new things.
Jesus Diaz founded the new Sploid for Gawker Media after seven years working at Gizmodo, where he helmed the lost-in-a-bar iPhone 4 story and wrote old angry man rants, among other things. He's a creative director, screenwriter, and producer at The Magic Sauce, and currently writes for Fast Company and Tom's Guide.


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June 23, 2021
Russian discount store chain Mere is to open four sites in the UK this year, with plans for over 300 stores within the next eight to ten years. The retailer plans to undercut Lidl and Aldi by 20 to 30 per cent. Suppliers are to deliver directly to stores and only pay for stock that is sold. The first store is set to open in Preston in mid-July, with sites in Castleford, Caldicot and Mold. For future sites, Mere plans to open in any part of the country that meets its requirements, including accessibility from major roads.
Edinburgh’s St James Quarter has added a host of fashion, jewellery and cosmetics brands to its offering as it plans to open its first phase this month. Retailers such as The Kooples and Nordic Outdoor will join the likes of Kate Spade, Kurt Geiger and Russell and Bromley in the mixed-use city centre development. Among the other stores is Scottish watchmaker Kartel. Owner Bobby Morrison said: “As a Scottish brand Kartel is proud to be part of the St James Quarter opening in Edinburgh. Experiential retail is at the heart of our offering, bringing a new level of customer interaction within our store. The quality of retailers in the new development will make the St James Quarter a landmark destination and we look forward to welcoming our existing and new customers alike.” Alongside the retailers, the development also includes an Everyman cinema, a W Edinburgh hotel and 152 residential apartments.
Debenhams may return to the high street under new owner Boohoo as it pursues deals with major beauty brands. Some brands such as Benefit and Ralph Lauren continue to supply to Debenhams’ online store, but boss John Lyttle said that other brands such as Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent have refused to supply products unless the department store had a physical presence. Lyttle told The Times that Boohoo was considering “one store and one store only”, a smaller site outside of London.
Sports Direct’s flagship store in Oxford Circus has undergone a £10m revamp. The 50,000sq ft unit now includes 100 digital screens, selfie mirrors and PS5 consoles, with a giant 3D hologram to showcase new products at the main entrance. Specialist zones for different sports will include a sports bra fitting service and a running analysis service offered by Japanese sportswear brand Asics. The store’s layout will have a more inclusive feel, with menswear and womenswear displayed side-by-side, and mannequins representing different body types and physical disabilities. Sports Direct head of elevation Michael Murray said: “[Our third-party brand partners] absolutely love the elevation strategy and love that we are making this huge statement on Oxford Street. It gives them confidence in our commitment and our determination to achieve what we have set out to achieve: to be the number one sporting goods retailer across Europe.”
Department store chain Selfridges has launched garden centres at its stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham in a bid to capitalise on the increased popularity of gardening driven by the pandemic. Ranges include own-label compost and gardening merchandise, and an exclusive themed clothing range by Prada. Centres will feature a ‘potting shed’ where customers can get advice from experts, take part in workshops and attend events. Selfridges creative director Hannah Emslie said: “A garden centre is evocative but familiar, and has provided rich inspiration for our teams, literally and creatively. We know our customers are more interested in gardening and greening than they ever have been. And so we are playing with the idea by bringing the essentials of a typical garden centre to our stores.”
A new leisure complex is to open on the site of a former Debenhams store in Wandsworth this summer. Gravity Southside will include an electric go-kart track, arcade, digital darts and bowling. A Japanese bar and noodle kitchen, a sports bar and a cocktail bar will complete the 3-floor, 100,000sq ft complex. Founder Michael Harrison said: “This project takes active entertainment to the next level with loads of immersive experiences and UK firsts. By day it's the perfect half-day experience for the family or a great place to host a party. By night we will dim the lights, speed up the E-karts, ramp up the music with live performances and let the adults take over."
Coffee shop and juice bar brand Joe & the Juice has opened its first site outside of London this week. The new Brighton store on North Street joins the Danish chain’s estate of over 50 London stores and international sites in over 16 countries. Founder Kaspar Basse said: “Brighton is such a vibrant city with a customer base already ahead of the curve in terms of a healthy lifestyle and interest in juicing, vegan and vegetarian foods. North Street is one of the busiest shopping areas of the city and will provide us with the footfall we need to launch this important flagship store.”
According to new ONS data, food retail sales fell in favour of hospitality. The drop in sales for the first time since January has been attributed to the reopening of hospitality, with consumers opting to dine out at pubs and restaurants and therefore spend less on groceries. The decline came after an almost 10% jump in April following the reopening of non-essential retail in most parts of the UK.
Oxford Circus will be transformed to include two pedestrian piazzas. Works beginning later in the year will shut two areas at either end of the Circus to buses and taxis, and traffic along Regent Street will be calmed using measures such as extended green phases at pedestrian crossings. The scheme, by Westminster City Council and The Crown Estate, aims to support local business affected by the pandemic and re-instil confidence in the West End as it welcomes shoppers back. Westminster City Council Leader Rachel Robathan said: “We hope the creation of these pedestrian-only piazzas at Oxford Circus, surrounded by newly-planted trees and large seating areas, will instil much-needed confidence in the West End and support local businesses severely affected by the pandemic.”
The government has extended the commercial rent moratorium until March 2022, in light of the recent decision to postpone the end of coronavirus restrictions by four weeks. The moratorium was due to end on the 30th of June, which would have allowed commercial landlords to evict tenants for failing to pay rent. Many hospitality and leisure businesses are still shut. British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson welcomed the extension. She said: “The last 15 months have seen extended periods of forced closure for retailers, preventing many from making the turnover needed to cover rents. Retailers need time to trade their way out of debt; this announcement does exactly that. We’re also pleased to see the Government adopt our proposal for binding arbitration where agreements between parties cannot be reached.”
Openings and closures
New York-style brasserie Isaac’s is to open at The Grand Hotel Birmingham this week; Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant Nakanojo will open on Chelsea’s King’s Road; Chef Dom Robinson will reopen his Michelin-starred pub The Blackbird as fine-dining restaurant Renaissant; The owners of Brawn in London’s Bethnal Green have partnered with Margate seafood restaurant Sargasso to reopen the venue next month; Sushi restaurant SUMI has opened in London’s Westbourne Grove; Italian restaurant Bernardi’s has relaunched as Italian Greyhound in Marylebone.
In other news
Property investment firm LabTech has announced proposals for an observation wheel in Camden. The wheel would be located in Camden Market's West Yard and include glass pods each themed around a musical artist or genre that represents Camden's musical heritage. Maggie Milosavljevic, commercial director at LabTech, said: “Our proposed Observation Wheel would further cement LabTech’s pledge to invest in the area and support local businesses, while enhancing Camden’s position as a leading destination for culture in London."


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SEMA is hosting a free webinar on how to use digital marketing to successfully promote your automotive businesses.
“Digital Marketing in 2021: What the Winners are Doing” will delve into social media strategies, email campaigns and even search engine optimization (SEO).
“Find out what most winning companies have in common, and discover how your business can apply their winning strategies to help your brand increase awareness, attract new customers and grow your sales,” SEMA says in a press release.
The event will be hosted by marketing expert Jim McKinley, founder of (un)Common Logic. “He will explain what successful digital marketers are doing, share tips for bringing targeted traffic to your website, and take a deep dive into the purchasing journey and trends among consumers,” SEMA says.
The event will be held on January 14, 2021 at 9:00 am ET / 12:00 pm PT. To register, click here.


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From the Audi A1 to the Q8 (and more likely the Q9), there's always a performance S equivalent, which is something that the German brand has been known for.
However, its parent company, Volkswagen, isn't taking the same route with its lineup. Sure, the company is ramping up its R range, with the T-Roc R getting released early last year and the Touareg R debuting last month. Even the electric VW ID range will get an R version, which will be the road-going equivalent of the highly-successful ID.R electric race car.
Gallery: VW Golf R New Spy Photos
But the Golf R will be the smallest of the R Range, according to VW R chief Jost Capito in a recent interview with Car Throttle.
"The Polo would not work - when we see what the clients have in this range, there is an interest but the volume would be too low, and the cost would be too high," he explained.
Demand is the main driving force for a brand to introduce a new model, so if VW doesn't see the Polo R as a high-demand model, it definitely won't spend so much in developing one.
Rumours about the Polo R has been a volley since 2014 when Volkswagen announced that it won't happen. However, a report in 2017 pointed to a 300-bhp Polo R that's allegedly already in the testing phase, which kind of gave us enthusiasts a tiny bit of hope for a small hot hatch.
But then again, with Capito's confirmation, it seems like all hopes for a Polo R are lost at this point.


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iOS dominates mobile shopping with 92% of market
A study by retail analysis firm RichRelevance released on Friday notes that Apple's iOS dominated mobile online shopping in 2011, holding just over 92 percent of the market, reports Market Watch. iOS users spend 19 percent more than those using Google's platform on mobile purchases.
The study has analyzed 3.4 billion shopping sessions between April and December 2011. The iOS devices share in mobile sales grew from 88 percent in April to over 92 percent in December. This proves that Apple's iOS growth continues to lead the market in many ways including online browsing.
“The numbers across our retailing partners sites demonstrate just how powerful the iOS platform is enabling mobile web shopping and, while still below 5 percent in total conversion, mobile traffic’s doubling in eight months is a trend we only see accelerating,” said Rich Relevance CEO David Selinger.
The average order value (AOV) of purchases made from iPhones and iPads is also larger when compared to other platforms, with cost of purchase coming in at $123 for December. Android and desktop orders followed with $101 and $87 AOV, respectively. The customers are the most active while weekends when sales jumping 25 percent above weekday traffic.
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is now the third company to say it's recalling laptop batteries made by
, although this time the problem is related to a recharging issue rather than a possible fire hazard.
The Toshiba recall covers the batteries in more than 300,000 of its laptop computers, including around 100,000 that were sold in the U.S. The batteries were used in its Dynabook and Satellite models that were manufactured from March through May. The batteries have been known to either stop charging or lose power.
For Sony, the Toshiba recall isn't the first time that a computer seller has said the company's batteries are faulty. Already this year,
issued recall notices affecting roughly 4 million Sony-made batteries, and
said nearly 2 million batteries would have to be replaced in its machines.
In the cases of Dell and Apple, the batteries were recalled because of fears they would overheat and potentially catch on fire.
Shares of Sony were off 75 cents, or 1.8%, at $41.53.


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South African motorists have been hit by several petrol hikes since the beginning of the year, with another scheduled for next Wednesday.
The department of energy has confirmed that the price of petrol will increase by 49c per litre next month.
The department said this was due to the international product prices of petrol increasing during the recent period, as well as the rand having depreciated against the US dollar.
The statement, released on Wednesday, said the price of diesel and illuminating paraffin would also increase next week.
The department added this would likely add to inflationary pressures and could hit consumers’ pockets hard.
In January, motorists were welcomed into the New Year with a hike of 50 cents per litre on fuel.
There were other hikes in February and March. There was also a petrol price decrease between the hikes.
At the time, business owners warned the hike would certainly have a negative impact on motorists, especially the poor.
In January, the department of energy cautioned consumers about an increase in the price of petrol (93 ULP and LRP) by 50 cents a litre, 95 ULP and LRP by 48 cents a litre, diesel (0.05% sulphur) by 39 cents per litre, diesel (0.005% sulphur) by 37 cents per litre, wholesale price of illuminating paraffin by 43 cents per litre and single maximum national retail price of illuminating paraffin by 58 cents per litre.
Buyani Zwane of Breakthrough Development said the increases would certainly have a negative impact on the poor because when the fuel price increased, transport costs and the price of bread and mealie meal also went up.
Chris Machingura of Machingura Attorneys said the increase in January was “100% bad” and believed the department of energy should consider contributing 40 cents for consumers and allow them to only pay 10 cents per litre more while buying petrol.
Machingura felt the increase was way too much, saying consumers were already stressed financially because last year was not a good year.


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Microsoft will receive the marketing support of AT&T, which will be the initial exclusive U.S. carrier to sell the Windows Phone 7 smartphones. AT&T plans to sell the devices the week of Nov. 8. Initially, the carrier will offer three handsetsâ€”one each made by Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc., and HTC Corp.â€”as it looks to diversify its portfolio of mobile devices beyond the iPhone.
AT&T seems to be the exclusive carrier for Windows Phone. Maybe AT&T is losing Apple next year. via Engadget
Update 2010.10.04: Updated with invite from Microsoft. The date is confirmed for October 11, 2010 and will be at 548 W. 22nd St. at Center 548 in New York City. Source: Wired Gadget Lab


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Saratoga Race Course Single Day Tix Go On Sale Wednesday
It's the next big step as we get ready for opening day in Saratoga in July; single day reserved tickets go on sale this Wednesday May 3.
That's right - this Wednesday NYRA will release single day reserve tickets for the 2017 at 10am this Wednesday through Ticketmaster. Weekly passes were made available recently, and this the single day on sale will bring us one step closer to opening day July 21.
According to the Times Union, there will be a few new cool things coming this summer, including Family Mondays. there will be free activities for the family, plus you can now reserve 4-packs of tickets for your family that include reserved seats and some eats for $44!
The warmer weather is here, concerts are getting going next month and before we know it racing season will be here. So get those reserved seats this Wednesday! And hey, if the picnic tables are your thing, just get the cooler out and clean it up to get ready for opening day.


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Following extensive joint research, Boson Protocol, the project building a capture resistant dCommerce ecosystem using NFTs encoded with game theory, and European venture capital firm Outlier Ventures, have released a formative report outlining the framework for the establishment of a decentralised commercial ecosystem, also known as a dCommerce ecosystem.
The report, titled ‘The dCommerce Stack: Disrupting commerce with a web3 ecosystem‘ specifically outlines how the unbundling of eCommerce will be achieved, and how this new ecosystem, fuelled by NFTs, will facilitate entirely new kinds of commerce.
“When we founded Boson Protocol, I wanted to build a system that would take the services provided by eCommerce monoliths and break them down into basic elements, which would create an entirely new decentralized commerce network that is more equitable, less beholden to behemoths like Amazon, and more competitive for consumers. Building out a collectively maintained infrastructure made up of smaller, composable services for commerce, we are now ready to make this theory a reality.”
– Justin Banon, CEO and Co-Founder of Boson Protocol
With interest in NFTs growing rapidly in recent months, the report pays homage to the potential of NFTs to change the way we do business. Allowing for the creation of tokenised commitments from buyers to sellers, instead of goods themselves, NFTs facilitate atomicity in dCommerce. These commitments can be thought of as futures contracts for goods or services, programmed within commitment tokens.
This report concludes that NFTs can be used to escrow the buyer’s payment and two-sided deposits upon both parties’ commitment to transact, which ensures that any trade that occurs in a dCommerce ecosystem proceeds as intended due to the fact that both parties have something to lose.
Recognizing the importance of collaboration, the report also calls for the collective innovation of the below stakeholders to facilitate the creation of the building blocks of decentralized commerce:
Research Groups – Boson Protocol will offer small bounties to those who break down dCommerce challenges into detailed research questions and proposed solutions
Web2 Platform and eCommerce Experts – Experts in platform strategy, channels, logistics, operations, and more are called upon to help further define dCommerce challenges and suggest best practices
dCommerce Projects – Boson Protocol will work with Outlier Ventures to create a dCommerce track within their Base Camp Accelerator program, which will focus on the creation of ecosystem projects
Token Engineering Community – As the scarcity of token engineers is a bottleneck for web3, Boson Protocol will support the education of new talent via a new token engineering curriculum, which will help advance the design of future tools for web3 and dCommerce.
“Boson Protocol is the cornerstone of a dCommerce stack, in the same way stablecoins were to DeFi. Their novel exchange mechanism allows for the first time digital-to-physical exchange to be possible, at scale, and it is one of the reasons why we became their first investor back in 2019. Working to build a commerce bridge between the metaverse and the physical world, this paper is Boson’s vision for how we can collectively make dCommerce a reality and it is an invite to a universe of academics, innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to mobilise and make this happen without the need for central coordination.”
– Jamie Burke, CEO of Outlier Ventures
Earlier this month, Boson Protocol successfully concluded its public sale, raising $25.8 million, making $36 million the total amount raised by the project — one of the largest raises of the year by a company operating in the NFT space. The company has also made partnerships with industry players such as Ledger, Ocean Protocol, Eidoo, Royale Finance, Gather Network, Bridge Mutual, and Orion Protocol.


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Tesla shares fell ahead of the market open after regulators demanded a recall of nearly 160,000 Tesla cars
U.S. stock futures ticked up ahead of a Biden speech on stimulus plans.
A car hauler loaded with Tesla Inc. vehicles drives outside the company's assembly plant in Fremont, Calif., Sept. 22, 2020. Read more: The Wall Street Journal »
Trump releases video calling for calm but doesn't mention impeachment
On the day he was impeached for a history-making second time, President Donald Trump lacked a comprehensive legal strategy, had nothing on his public schedule and was without his preferred social media methods of responding -- in part because his son-in-law put a stop to efforts establishing his presence on fringe platforms after he was banned from Twitter.
It's my favorite car:) Elon Musk was the richest man in the world Congratulations to everyone who benefited from my company. Believe it or leave it! Registration fee:00:00 Registration Bonus:$50 Daily earning $2500 Weekly earning $20000 Monthly earning $33000 Instant cash out Ask me how Doesn't matter. Simp will keep pushing. Tesla is not a car maker
Tesla are built to a similar quality of a Soviet era Yugo.


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An insurance and benefits marketplace for independent workers has raised £7.3 million investment.
Collective Benefits has been backed by Prosus Ventures, the venture investing arm of Prosus, one of the largest technology investors in the world.
The London firm offers sick pay, accident and injury insurance, wellness, financial and education support, as well as a perks marketplace.
Since launching less than 18 months ago, the product is now live in over 20 markets, serving more than 200,000 members. It aims to continue to expand its presence as the market leader across Europe.
Prosus has been investing in and operating platforms that depend on independent workers for nearly a decade, including ride sharing, food delivery and home services.
“We’re delighted to welcome Prosus Ventures as an investor in Collective Benefits,” said Anthony Beilin, CEO and co-founder at Collective Benefits.
“They have significant expertise investing in and operating platforms that work with independent workers, and are an ideal partner to set the stage for Collective Benefits’ next phase of growth.
“We are transforming a hundred-year-old industry to finally serve the real needs and wants of the growing independent workforce. With this fresh funding, we’re one step closer to realising our vision to create valuable benefits for independent workers.”
A significant and increasing portion of the workforce is employed through independent work. According to research, 96% of independent workers are without any form of income protection and over 50% have less than £200 in savings.
In the European Union alone, nearly 24m people, or 11% of the EU workforce, have provided services for a digital platform at least once. Collective Benefits says this vulnerability creates an unsustainable situation, not just for the workers, but also the companies that depend on them.
“The pandemic has accelerated the momentum of flexible and independent work,” said Sandeep Bakshi, head of European Investments for Prosus Ventures.
“Collective Benefits is in a unique position at the forefront of the demand for independent worker benefits. The company’s mission fits well within our investment thesis to find transformational technology solutions that create a meaningful impact by addressing large societal needs.
“We see clear opportunities for expansion across the independent economy and we’re excited for what’s to come.”


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For months now, speculation from both fans and media alike has been swirling since both Microsoft and Sony have stated that they have both began development on next generation hardware for their respective platforms. While we haven’t had any concrete time frames on production, or official word on when consumers can expect to get their hands on the next generation tech, it looks like development on next generation titles has also been underway as well.
According to the LinkedIn profile of Tomohiro Tokoro, 3D Character Model Lead Artist & 3D Graphic Directer, he has listed working on a “new AAA title for PS5” as experience with Luminous Productions, a studio under the Square Enix umbrella (pictured below). The profile, which has since removed the PlayStation 5 and mobile title bullet points, also has listed experience with a “new mobile title for China” and a plethora of work on Final Fantasy 15, including the base version of the game with Square Enix, the Windows Edition, Multiplayer expansion Comrades, and the now-cancelled expansion episodes Ardyn, Aranea, Lunafrena and Noctis.
Last week, Hajime Tabata, Director of Final Fantasy 15, resigned from his role with Luminous Productions and Square Enix, which in turn sparked the cancellation of all remain Final Fantasy 15 DLC plans, both in development and future expansions. The company released a statement, in which it showed the parting seemed mutual between the two parties. “It is with regret to see the departure of such a talented member of staff who applied themselves on Final Fantasy 15 and other memorable titles. We wish him every success for the future and will continue to cheer him on”, the company stated. What sparked fans curiosity on what could be next, and could possibly play into this recent LinkedIn posting is what the company stated on its future plans. “As to the future of Luminous Productions, the studio was established with the goal to create a new IP (intellectual property), so we are continuing to develop our new title.” Comparing the two timelines give an eerie vibe of similarity, which makes you wonder: can the next generation of consoles be sooner than we think? While Square Enix and Luminous Production both specially mention this next project being a new IP, does make you think that with the radio silence surrounding the Final Fantasy 7 remake “planned” for current generation console, could play into Square’s future plans moving forward. Does that get pushed to the next generation if it’s closer than we think? Does this even possibly end up being Final Fantasy 16 in disguise? The waiting game begins…
While we don’t know when the next generation of consoles is coming, this possible tidbit does give gamers a lot to be ecstatic about, with the next technological leap coming within the next few years.
For more updates on the rumors surround Square Enix, and the next generation of consoles, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory, and keep it locked in at Bonus Accessory.


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Movement afoot in MVNO space
For no lack of business hopefuls trying - and despite efforts by SA's telecoms regulator to foster competition in the sector - a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) presence in SA has, to date, been all but absent. But this may start to change this year, say analysts.
This comes ahead of the movement that is expected to ensue in the MVNO space in the first part of 2015. In November last year, Steve Bailey (former Virgin Mobile SA boss and founder of mobile virtual network enabler MVN-X) indicated at least three MVNO players would enter the local market in the first part of this year alone.
At the time, Bailey countered cynicism around the ill-fated prospects for new mobile players in a duopolistic market, saying this was based on the assumption that MVNOs are new players in competition with the likes of Vodacom and MTN, which offer services to the mass market. "This is a platform for companies that already have a brand, distribution and customer relationship needed to succeed as an MVNO."
Likely but limited
Director at BMI-TechKnowledge, Brian Neilson, says there are two key trends backing the likelihood of an MVNO scene sprouting in SA in 2015, namely: the growth in importance of smartphones, which is rapidly spreading down the market pyramid; and the prominence of large retail brands like Edgars and Pep Stores, which are well-placed to help consumers acquire their first smartphone using credit facilities.
"I think the big network operators, through their in-house service providers, will continue to drive the customer numbers at the top end of the market. Conversely, the mass market channel has evolved to allow for the possibility of a large retail player to change from being a simple reseller to something more like an MVNO."
Ovum analyst Richard Hurst says, however, although SA may see more MVNOs emerging in 2015, market impact will be limited. "New entrants face a saturated market, with well-established players, who have vast resources to defend their markets, while over-the-top players look more and more like the entities that are delivering value to the end-users."
Neilson reiterates an earlier point by industry watchers - that the only real gaps for prospective new mobile players exist in the niche markets. He adds - although it would be a long shot - large retailers could be more than mere niche players "if the chemistry is just right".
As far as market readiness goes, however, ICT expert Adrian Schofield says - based on past experience - there is little change in the market's willingness to embrace MVNOs. "In some ways, the MVNO is a parasite on another, larger provider upon which it depends for quality of service and basic pricing. It is interesting that the only provider mentioned in conjunction with MVNOs in SA is Cell C, leading to the conclusion that an MVNO relationship has little to offer the two market leaders."
Brand vs business
Neilson says smaller, niche players are more likely to be sub-brands, more than true MVNOs. "We have seen this with Red Bull Mobile and, a few years ago, Vodacom also had ZCC, Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs as sub-brands, but we do not hear much about the latter three these days, so I guess they have faded off the scene. There would need to be a pretty compelling value proposition - beyond just club affiliation."
He says a big brand is needed to start off with, due to the huge brand investment of the incumbent mobile service providers over the past 20 years. Others may start up, he adds, but these would likely remain niche players.
Retail giant Pick n Pay recently considered the option of partnering with MTN to launch an MVNO, but, in June last year, opted for a simple SIM partnership instead. At the time, the retailer said the MVNO option was still on the cards, in the event that it proves viable at a later stage.
Hurst says the main focus of opportunity for MVNOs in SA will be the niche markets. "This will depend on a number of factors, such as the strength of their brand and the ability to develop loyalty in a high churning prepaid market, based on tariffs and handset deals."
At the end of the day, says Schofield, a basic fact of business is that market leaders will always have smaller enterprises trying to share their profits. "MVNOs only make sense if there is perceived value for the consumer, the MVNO principal and the carrier. Two out of three won't work."


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Fifth expo to give taste of New York
The fifth annual Girlfriends Expo is taking a bite out of the Big Apple.
Each year the team strives to bring something new, and over the years they have done Vegas, Paris, New Orleans and London.
“We theme our expo around a new city to bring a taste of that culture and we are excited to celebrate our fifth year with a bite out of the Big Apple – New York,” said chief executive officer of Girlfriends Inc., Kimtara Clarke.
It will be held next year at The Barbados Concorde Experience in February.
The expo has grown over the past five years from 36 booths to 120 booths, attracting both exhibitors and patrons from neighbouring Caribbean islands and overseas.
Clarke said “the obvious choice for us was a Sex In The City theme, or as we now call it Girlfriend Expo In The City. So you can expect, food, fun and fashion. This is why when we were approached by The Parris Agency out of New York to partner with the team from Irie Jams FM and Signature 78, it was a no-brainer.”
Clarke said the expo couldn’t go on without the strategic partners and gave special thanks to Love FM, the lead sponsor for the past five years.
Clarke said that also helping to spread the word across the region was the Caribbean Media Corporation, through their channel Caribvision.
Hinting at what people could expect at the expo for 2014, she said a new addition would be one of the largest food truck gathering Barbados had ever seen, offering a variety of culinary options.
There will be a Neutrogena main stage where fashion takes centrestage and a healthy lifestyle showcase where patrons can get all dolled up.
Since the event will be held at the Concorde, there will be tours of the area. (PR/NS)


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GameStop putting up Titanfall 2 marketing materials, coming for PS4/XB1 and PC
GameStop stores across the US have begun stocking display cases and marketing for Titanfall 2. The sequel to Respawn’s 2014 shooter hasn’t been formally announced though GameStop thinks its coming to PC, Xbox One and PS4.
Titan fall 2 confirmed. pic.twitter.com/vtYkStu1nF
— Niall Maher (@niallmaherFM) February 29, 2016
The game doesn’t show up online on any retailer website right now. An announcement should be happening pretty soon, EA will be pretty pissed about GameStop leaking this predictable twist early.


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Green’s Feed & Seed, a longtime family-owned agricultural supply store, may soon be under new ownership.
A sign was placed outside the establishment, located at 314 Piedmont Road, in Charleston, late last week advertising the sale of inventory and equipment, as well as the sale or lease of the property.
Mike Green Sr., president of the company, confirmed Monday the family was looking for a buyer for the business, and had been for the past year.
“We’re just trying to sell the business — the whole thing,” Green said, “We’re not going out, we just want to sell it to somebody that’s going to run it the same.”
The sale would include the business, as well as the property, inventory, trucks, computer system and more — “the whole shootin’ caboodle,” Green said.
The company was started by Mike’s father, Earl, on Washington Street in 1963, later moving to the current day location in 1977. The Greens sold the store to Southern States, an agricultural supply cooperative, in 1998 before re-acquiring the store three years later.
Mike Green says the time to sell has come again, with age being a driving factor.
“My father’s turned 90, he wants to quit,” Green said. “I’m 67 and I want to quit, so we’ve decided to try to sell it.”
Green says neither his son, Mike Jr., nor any of his grandchildren, are interested in taking over the business.
While the company has not made a formal announcement, a photo of the sign shared to social media drew an outpouring of support from members of the community.
One person commented that Green’s “was the place to go to for hard to find items that couldn’t be found elsewhere,” while another called it “a beloved institution in Charleston.”
Green says selling the business is the end goal, but it’s not the end of the world if a deal isn’t made.
“If we don’t get a buyer — and we’ve had several people look at it, everybody wants to knock you down to nothing,” Green said. “If we don’t get a buyer, I’ll still be here till I die.”


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SOEDESCO has just dropped a new trailer, and a release date confirmation, for their upcoming horror title, Dollhouse. The publisher has now confirmed that the game will drop on May 24th.
The singleplayer aspect of this horror title is all about the creep-filled and unsettling journey of Marie, who is seemingly trapped in The Dollhouse on an investigation as she attempts to recover from amnesia. The layouts will all be procedurally generated, allowing the challenges of fighting your way out of the creepy and potentially deadly environs to vary each time you play.
The setting is a deliciously dreary take on a warped and decayed 1950s aesthetic, adding to the horrific dread you’ll feel while being chased around.
If you want to learn more about that story, go take a peek at the Dollhouse story trailer released a while back.
The game also includes a multiplayer component that includes tons of different features and gameplay loops, which is pretty cool. Players will take their highly customizable character online and attempt to survive increasingly vicious puzzles and challenges, with success earning you upgrades and new abilities. With more than 14 characters and over 40 individual abilities, there’s a lot of customization possible in Dollhouse’s multiplayer component. There’s even potential for a bit of meta-gaming with creating and perfecting the optimal builds for given levels or team compositions.
That spotlight on competitive and engaging multiplayer is something that the horror genre has been pushing a fair bit the last few years; especially with titles like Dead by Daylight really pushing the “games as a service” idea into the horror genre, a game set typically known for more immersive and story-driven experiences.
The team behind it is also running a beta test to stress out the singleplayer and multiplayer portions of the game. That beta will run on both platforms from April 13th to 14th. Sign up for that beta period over here, if that sounds like your kind of thing. Otherwise, just go down below and watch the newest trailer for Dollhouse. This new horror video game is due out for PS4 and PC on May 24th.


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This is because the majority of the global tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple are American and such proposals affect them the most.
“The nature of these levies is such that it’s difficult to find them fair in their present form. Reaching a multilateral solution remains the best bet to avoid double taxation
and give a fair share of taxes to countries, but we don’t foresee a global consensus happening anytime soon,” said Amit Maheshwari, partner, AKM Global, a tax and consulting firm. One has to keep in mind that typically when goods or services are supplied to the resident, non-residents are able to pass on the burden to Indian consumers, who, indirectly, bear the tax, he said.
Several global firms missed the July 7 deadline of depositing tax, expecting that the Indian government might review the levy.
Soon after this levy, a group of industry associations representing tech giants wanted the new tax withdrawn. It also sought deferring the deadline due to the pandemic. But in the absence of clarity, very few have paid the tax, resulting in a huge dip in collection. “The US government has specifically called out the Indian equalisation levy as unfairly targeting companies there. The defence mounted by the Indian government is mainly based on the fact that the tax is non-discriminatory and applies equally to all non-residents,” said Rohinton Sidhwa, partner, Deloitte.
However, evidence from France, also cited by the USTR in its reports, suggests it was mainly US companies that are affected by the tax, he said. The equalisation levy in India is distinctive in the sense it applies to financial intermediaries and banking services too, Sidhwa said. When the US had pulled out of talks on the contentious digital tax, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development had pointed out countries would apply unilateral measures, which could result in retaliatory steps by the US.
The US launched an investigation, focusing on whether the tax in India and other countries discriminated against American companies, were retroactive, and reflected unreasonable tax policy. “The levy is wide in scope and has a low revenue threshold — so it will be difficult for the US to conclude that it discriminates against American internet companies,” said Akhilesh Ranjan, former member, Central Board of Direct Taxes.
Backing Ranjan’s view, Sanjay Sanghvi, partner, Khaitan & Co, said: “Since this threshold has not been aimed at any particular country’s companies or is not very high so as to affect only a particular country’s e-commerce operators, I see no justification for someone to say that India’s new digital tax
levy is unreasonable or that it discriminates against US companies.”


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Tuesday, April 08, 2014
The College of Staten Island radio interview will be played in parts on their news broadcasts. Amazon will be keeping the ebook on sale for only $0.99 for the next week while the shows are aired! The paperback is also on sale on Amazon, as well as signed copies on sale on larryhochwald.com. Visit Amazon and look for Larry Hochwald or Not From Around Here to get your ebook at the lowest price it's ever going to be!


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We Are Social’s Tuesday Tweakup #47
Instagram launches ads in Instagram Shop tab
Last year saw Instagram finally embrace e-commerce with the unveiling of ‘Shops,’ a feature that currently lives on the app’s bottom navigation bar. Following testing in the US, Instagram is now introducing ads, which will be displayed globally via the Shop tab. When clicked, ads – which will appear alongside other ‘Shops’ content – will open the Product Details page, showing more information about the item, additional images, and other brand products. Users can then save the product from the ad to their wish list, or send it to a friend. This is an exciting opportunity for brands to expand their social media sales, whilst boosting their presence on the platform.
TikTok expands Shopify partnership
TikTok is getting stuck into shopping by expanding its partnership with the e-commerce platform Shopify. The expanded deal means that Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account will soon be able to add a new ‘Shopping’ tab to their TikTok profiles, allowing them to sync their product catalogues and create mini-storefronts on their profiles. Product links are another handy addition, allowing Shopify merchants to tag products in their TikTok videos. Kylie Jenner has swooped in as an early adopter of this new service, using the features to drive sales of her cosmetics brand. With TikTok placing its focus on e-commerce, it’s only a matter of time before the platform becomes a top destination for shopaholics.
Instagram ditches ‘swipe-up’ links in favour of stickers
It’s time to say goodbye to swipe-up links on Instagram, as the platform looks to ditch the feature in favour of a sticker alternative. The popular swipe-up feature currently allows businesses and high-profile creators to direct their following to a website, where they can learn more about a product, read an article, and so on. Now the platform is introducing a new link sticker, which works in essentially the same way as the ‘swipe-up’ feature, but lines up better with Instagram’s current creative direction that favours interactivity. There are also rumours that the platform is considering expanding access to link sharing in Stories, with the new sticker perhaps signalling a step in this direction.
Clubhouse embraces spatial audio
Listen up, audio fans. Clubhouse is embracing surround sound by enabling spatial audio support via the app. This feature introduces subtle spatial cues that position participants on Clubhouse calls into three-dimensional space around the user’s head. This makes it seem as if users are in a room full of people, creating a more vibrant, human experience. The feature works best when using headphones, and is currently only available on iOS, with an Android rollout expected soon.
Instagram now requires users to provide their birthday
Instagram will begin nudging users to share their birthday with the platform. No, not so they can send you a present, but to help create new safety features aimed at younger users. Over the past year, the app has introduced teen privacy protection, as well as revealed its intention to launch a version of its service aimed at users under the age of 13. Starting from last week, users have begun to receive notifications prompting them to share their date of birth. Instagram is even developing AI technology that helps to identify kids who may be lying on their birthday entry form, highlighting the platform’s determination to ensure child safety.
TikTok welcomes Taylor Swift
TayTay is now on TikTok! Pop superstar Taylor Swift has finally joined the video sharing app, much to the delight of her adoring fans. By last Monday, the #swifttok hashtag had been used on more than 181,000 video creations, tallying to over 1 billion views. Her impact is evident, with the dress she wore in her first video having already (swiftly) sold out. Expect album news, touring updates, and hopefully some VIP appearances from her cats.
Ones to watch
Twitter is testing ticketed Spaces and showing which friends are listening in, while TikTok is testing AR developer tools.


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The Information has released survey data on tech regulation.
- 41% of respondents believe current antitrust regulations are poor.
- 61% believe their company is adequately investing in ensuring employees are apprized of regulatory compliance.
- In the US, 94% of companies are focused on shaping policy when it comes to regulations that affect the business, and it’s 41% for Europe.
Why do we care?
This data is from large customers, so you might be inclined to be dismissive. Instead, listen to that again – 94% of companies are focused on shaping regulations that affect the business among the very large.
What’s shocking to me is the number of SMB companies that do NOT consider shaping regulation in anyway. Find me something that 94% of people think is a good idea. Seriously.
Because 94% of big companies are thinking about tech regulation. And that’s why I see it for SMB too – because the problem is real. It’s different, certainly, but still real.
Source: The Information


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Pure un-imagination: New mobile app creates entertaining way to not be creative
Smartphones are only as good as their apps, and Dubsmash is the latest app that has caused an online sensation. Dubsmash is an app that allows iPhone and Android users to record a popular sound, song lyric, or movie quote, then dub it into their own recorded videos to post on their social media accounts for the world to see.
It is often the simplest app that gain the biggest success. Nobody would have guessed that Vine, an app that only allows you to record six second videos, would gain enough popularity to rub elbows with Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The Dubsmash app has already coined its own nickname for people who use the app — Dubbers. People can’t seem to get enough of these Dubbers’ videos.
Dubsmash was created by a small group of German developers and was launched last November. Since its launch, Dubsmash has been downloaded over 10 million times.
The legality of the app has been called into question, as it allows copyrighted material to be used for free. Technically, the app falls into a grey legal area. Although using copyrighted material for private use, such as emails or personal social media accounts, is legal, it can be illegal if the material is shared openly online.
Other critics have condemned users of the app, saying that it is for people who cannot sing or have no talent. Lip syncing requires no real skills, which is the very reason some people love using the app.
Only time will tell if Dubsmash is the new trending app that will join the second wave of social media apps, like Vine and Snapchat.
Have you used Dubsmash before? How do you feel about the growing popularity of an app that takes control of the creativity? Let us know how you feel about this new trend here or find me on Twitter @jesusgreaser to chat about it.


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New ways to bridge gap from school to work; Companies look beyond internships and co-op to build skills and recruit.
Myplanet's Fellowship program has been featured in Maclean's magazine. Read the full article and let us know what you think!
Julie Topp, an industrial design student at OCAD University in Toronto, can’t wait to see the web application she helped design up and running in RISE Espresso shops, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. Sound of RISE will allow customers to control a SoundCloud music queue, giving them a say in what’s playing while they sip their Americanos. “We started with the question, ‘what would be the ideal experience in a coffee shop?’” she says. “The ideal is a coffee shop playing my favourite song.”
In January, Topp had zero coding or web development experience, though she had done plenty of design work at school. She was looking for a way to get job experience before graduating but faced the paradox that it’s difficult to get experience without a job but difficult to get a job without experience. Then a friend told her about Myplanet’s Fellowship program. “I had no idea what I was getting into,” she says.
Read the full article on Maclean's.


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The decision taken by the Dutch government to restrict exports of advanced microchip technology to China might be expanded to a European Union-wide scope, says Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission Vice-President in charge of trade relations.
“The way export controls function in the EU, it’s a national decision. But there is a possibility also to bring this decision (to) the EU level. The Dutch authorities have indicated they have this interest,” Dombrovskis said on Friday morning ahead of an informal meeting of trade ministers in Stockholm.
“There are going to be discussions with relevant member states, which also have advanced semiconductor manufacturing, whether to extend the application of these export controls broader.”
The Dutch curb has been the source of speculation for months but was only made official on Wednesday in a government letter addressed to the country’s parliament.
The Netherlands is home to ASML, an international firm specialised in the sophisticated machines needed to produce the microchips that power smartphones, PCs, cars and billions of everyday appliances.
ASML is the only company in the world able to manufacture extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machine, an apparatus of extreme complexity and precision that is used to assemble the most advanced version of semiconductors.
These EUV machines are as big as a small bus and command a price tag of €150 million apiece. Multinationals like TSMC, Intel and Samsung employ ASML-made machines to mass-produce microchips.
Headquartered in the town of Veldhoven, ASML is today Europe’s largest tech company in terms of market capitalisation, providing the entire bloc with a competitive edge on a global scale.
This superiority has thrust ASML – and, by extension, the Netherlands – into the very forefront of the geopolitical rift between the United States and China, as the White House actively rallies Western allies to take a tougher stance on Beijing and block the trade of cutting-edge supplies.
Months of lobbying paid off on Wednesday when Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher officially announced “additional national export control measures” for the technology required to fabricate advanced semiconductors.
Schreinemacher did not explicitly mention either China or ASML but spoke of a “geopolitical context” that called for strict export rules “in the interests of national and international security.”
The letter, a translated version of which was shared with Euronews, listed three “strategic goals” to argue the decision: to prevent Dutch goods from being used for “undesirable” purposes, to avoid long-term dependencies on foreign suppliers, and to preserve Dutch leadership in the field.
“The government does not view this export control framework in isolation, but as part of a broader effort designed to benefit the semiconductor value chain,” the letter reads.
According to Schreinemacher, the Netherlands has held “close consultations” with the European Commission and fellow member states to explain the decision and “gain support for it.”
“In the months ahead, the government will continue these efforts with a view to establishing the national control list in the EU landscape as effectively as possible,” the letter says.
Emerging tech risks
On Friday morning, Dombrovskis followed up on the letter and opened the door for the Dutch decision to acquire a greater European dimension, although he did not specify how this would work in practice.
Dombrovskis, however, did mention China by name, as well as Taiwan, the island that is today the world’s largest supplier of microchips and that Beijing considers to be a breakaway province.
“Looking at the current geopolitical context of different emerging technologies, we need to handle the new risks emerging with them,” Dombrovskis told reporters.
“We are also taking a broader look at how we could have a stronger European framework for export controls (and) a more coordinated and streamlined system at the EU level because currently, it’s very much a member state-driven and any decision making is bottom up.”
Under a 2021 regulation, the EU established a common list of dual-use items whose exports must be meticulously monitored by member states.
Dual-use items refer to products that can be employed for military and civilian purposes. Many of the products currently listed relate to the production of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Individual countries are entitled to add additional export controls on key products which they consider warrant closer surveillance, like the Netherlands has done with lithography systems.
Export controls are not technically a ban: the government is free to decide if it grants a licence export to a specific company for a specific product meant to be sent to a specific country.
Member states, therefore, operate on a case-by-case basis. Proper export bans are conducted through the EU’s sanctions regime, as is the case with Russia.
The Dutch government still needs to translate Wednesday’s announcement into legislation, a process that could take months before any trade is actually restricted.
In a reaction statement, ASML said it would need to apply for export licences for the most advanced versions of its deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems.
Its internationally coveted EUV tools “have already been restricted since 2019,” the company said.
“Based on today’s announcement, our expectation of the Dutch government’s licensing policy, and the current market situation, we do not expect these measures to have a material effect on our financial outlook that we have published for 2023 or for our longer-term scenarios.”
Read the full article here


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MSU-IIT opened its Tabo sa Pasko sa IIT on Decembr 9, 2013 at the lobby of the Mini-theatre. It is a week-long celebration that marks the Christmas season in MSU-IIT.
But the celebration this year is scaled down in keeping with the recent tragedy that hit the Leyte Samar areas during typhoon Yolanda earlier in November.
The celebration opened with an Opening Program at the Institute flagpole area and followed with the ribbon cutting by MSU-IIT officials to formally open the Tabo sa Pasko 2013. Stalls were set –up for sellers at the first floor hallway of the Main Library building.
The “tabo “ is a trade event where entrepreneurs sell their products or services to MSU-IIT constituents. The proceeds from the space rentals for this year’s “ Tabo sa Pasko “ were earmarked as funds for the Typhoon Yolanda victims.
About 18 entrepreneurs participated in the ‘tabo”.
Marietta Esperanza P. Cruz, TAPU for OC-OPI


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Industrial production expanded for the third month in a row last month, but growth momentum is slowing compared with the previous month, a government report showed yesterday.
For the first nine months of the year, total industrial output contracted 1.51 percent compared with the same period last year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in the report.
The industrial production index rose 3 percent from a year earlier to 129.54 points last month on the back of an expansion in manufacturing and fuel supplies, as well as in the construction and building industries, but the index was 4.69 percent lower than in the previous month, the report said.
Manufacturing sector production — which accounts for more than 90 percent of the nation’s total factory output and includes the electronic, chemical, machinery, foodstuff and textile industries — grew 14.25 percent year-on-year last month, the report showed.
Yang Kuei-hsien (楊貴顯), deputy director-general of the ministry’s statistics department, attributed the results to increasing demand for electronic materials used for new high-tech gadgets, such as handheld devices and tablet computers, which had offset lower output from domestic steelmakers and basic metal manufacturers.
However, there are some uncertain factors that may affect domestic manufacturers’ production in the months ahead, Yang said.
“If the market sustains a positive reaction toward new products running Microsoft [Corp’s] Windows 8 operating system, there is a likelihood that we will see additional demands for related electronic products and components supplied by local manufacturers,” he said.
Industrial Development Bureau Director Hsiao Chen-jung (蕭振榮) said he was “cautiously optimistic” about industrial output next month because of the launch of new smartphones and tablets in the fourth quarter as well as the seasonal demand for new cars.
The ministry’s latest data on domestic trade, also released yesterday, showed revenue for the nation’s retail, wholesale and restaurant sectors totaled NT$1.22 trillion (US$41.4 million) last month, up 1.5 percent from a month earlier, but down 0.8 percent year-on-year.
Cumulative revenue of domestic trade in the first nine months of the year amounted to NT$10.61 trillion, down 0.8 percent year-on-year, the data showed.
NOT ALL GOOD: Analysts warned that other data for last month might be less rosy due to the virus and analysts expect the PMI to contract again next month Chinese factory activity saw surprise growth last month as businesses went back to work following a lengthy shutdown, but analysts said that the economy faces a challenging recovery as external demand has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, while the World Bank said that growth could screech to a halt. China is slowly returning to life after months of tough restrictions aimed at containing the virus, which put millions of people into virtual house arrest and brought economic activity to a near standstill. The strict measures saw a closely watched gauge of manufacturing plunge to its lowest level on record in February,
The output of the global smartphone industry this year is to contract by 7.8 percent on an annual basis as the COVID-19 pandemic ushers in a global recession, Taipei-based market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said in a report on Monday. The global production of smartphones is expected to fall to 1.29 billion units, as the pandemic dampens demand for consumer electronics, leading to a decline in shipments across Europe and North America, TrendForce said. With consumers delaying smartphone purchases and thereby lengthening the device replacement cycle, overall prices would suffer a setback that is expected to negatively affect the profitability of smartphone
ELECTRONICS Lite-On delays sale of unit Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) yesterday said it would postpone the sale of its solid-state drives (SSD) business to Kioxia Holdings Corp, formerly known as Toshiba Memory Holdings Corp, due to disruptions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the Taiwan-based electronics components supplier struck the deal with the Japanese firm, agreeing to sell the unit for US$165 million. Citing unfinished integration work due to the pandemic, Lite-On has deferred today’s closing date until further notice, adding that the delay would not have a negative effect on the unit’s operations. AUTO PARTS Hiroca approves dividend Automotive interior parts supplier Hiroca
ALL ABOUT STRATEGY: The company is optimistic, saying that its gross margin should increase year-on-year, but it is scaling back on its plans to expand capacity Quang Viet Enterprise Co (QVE, 廣越), which makes down jackets and garments for sportswear and outdoor brands including Adidas AG, yesterday said that revenue might drop 5 to 10 percent annually this year as some customers trimmed orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That would mark its first revenue decline since 2016. Quang Viet posted record-high revenue of NT$16.26 billion (US$537.45 million) last year, up 22 percent from 2018. Down jackets made up 40 percent of it revenue last year. North Face Inc and Patagonia Inc are this year likely to reduce orders by 20 to 30 percent from a


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Invacare rolls center-wheel
ELYRIA, Ohio - So confident is Invacare that its new center-wheel-drive power wheelchair technology will succeed that the company has begun sounding the death knell over its rear-wheel-drive PWCs.
In a press release that followed the FDA’s marketing clearance for the Storm Series TDX power chair in late November, Invacare said it believed its new center-wheel option would “eventually replace the company’s traditional rear-wheel drive power wheelchairs.”
“We have probably maximized every angle, every perspective and every opportunity in rear wheel drive,” said Hymie Pogir, vice president of marketing for custom power products. “So there is nowhere else to go.”
Except to center-wheel drive technology.
Pride Mobility Products pioneered mid-wheel-drive power wheel chair technology when it rolled out the Jazzy power base in the mid-1990s. The Jazzy’s success encouraged Pride to take the same highly maneuverable power base into the high-end rehab market with the launch of Quantum Rehab two years ago.
Meanwhile, Invacare went back to the drawing board, searching for a competing technology that would enable its own big spash in center-wheel drive. At Medtrade 2001, Invacare rolled out a center-wheel alternative in the Xterra and M-71 power chairs. But it was not until the TDX technology came off that the company began talking about a wholesale migration from rear wheel drive to center-wheel drive.
Historically, the great inhibitor to moving from rear wheel to center wheel has involved compromises in stability. Enter SureStep, a patent-pending automatic system that ensures the consumer driving the chair can handle everyday obstacles and thresholds, up to three-inches.
The next stability enhancement came in Stability lock, a patent-pending technology that ensures the chair remains stable without the “tippiness” commonly associated with mid-wheel or center-wheel drive powerchairs. Enter the new safety lock technology, known as Stability Lok. The feature allows an adult to stand on the chair’s foot plates, even on a downhill grade, without tipping.
Rehab providers who’ve previewed TDX chairs (they won’t be available until May) are buying Invacare’s contention that the TDX could make center wheel drive the default choice for high-end users.
“You are still going to have old quads in chairs who don’t ant to change,” said Ted Malkowski, of Westhill Rehab in Apleton, Wisc., “but midwheel is the future.”
Why? In a word, maneuverability. Where Invacare’s rear-wheel drive Storm chairs need all of 49-inches to make a turn, the TDX K0011 and K0014 chairs can turn in 25 inches.
“Now that you’ve cut the radius down to 25 inches, and at the same time taken that maneuverability outdoors, [center-wheel drive] is going to take off,” said Ed Curley, of Hudson Home Health in Newington, Conn. HME


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Increased investment in the aquaculture sector (particularly in productivity- enhancing technologies) should boost farmed-fish production by as much as 4.14 percent per year though 2022, notably faster than the 2.54 percent growth forecast made earlier this year in a joint report by FAO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Aquaculture is a young industry compared to livestock farming and has grown from vitually nothing in 1950 and to a record production of 66.5 million tonnes in 2012, up almost thirty-fold since 1970.
In terms of direct human consumption, farmed fish in 2014 surpassed captured fish.
The biotechnology company will attend this international benchmark fair in the fruit and vegetable sector for the sixth time in a row. This year it will be online.23 September, 2020
The agreements establish AlgaEnergy as global distributor of Concentric’s two flagship biological products and pave the way for development of a new class of microalgae-biological products.15 September, 2020
AlgaEnergy microalgae technology in these Ecocert Certified products is available to organic growers in Asia, Europe and U.S.21 July, 2020
Linkup provides access to existing and new technologies for IAP’s 33 independent U.S. retailers.07 July, 2020
Bachar Blal will lead company’s introduction of microalgae-based biostimulants and biocontrol products for growers in these two important agricultural regions02 July, 2020
Company receives “The Product of Great Potential” award for its AgriAlgae products.30 June, 2020
Under the title ‘Ready for the Spain of tomorrow’, the event had the participation of top international speakers and the presence of the Minister of Science and Innovation, Pedro Duque.25 June, 2020
A project based on the launch of its brand of cosmetic products, MareVitae®, was chosen as the best Business Plan of the year. For the first time in 26 years, a single company has been awarded twice.19 June, 2020
Benatti will lead company’s new subsidiary in Brazil and will drive expansion in Latin America.16 June, 2020
It is one of the most important events for the biotechnology sector in Spain.12 June, 2020


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The good news is that since today RadioShack. Firewire 400 To 800 Radioshack… has officially been bought by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), providing the struggling business a brand-new lease on life. The disadvantage, at least for folks like us, is that there are no immediate plans to return the renowned electronic devices seller to its brick-and-mortar roots. As the name indicates, REV specializes in online retail, having formerly revamped the Internet presence of other insolvent companies such as Pier 1 Imports and Dressbarn.
While journalism release does not straight-out preclude the possibility of new physical RadioShack places, it’s clear that REV thinks the future of retail isn’t to be found in your local shopping center. As the United States mulls further lockdowns in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to disagree. There will be countless bored kids and adults trying to find something to do throughout the long winter season nights, and an electronic package or 2 shipped to their door might be simply the important things.
REV says they prepare to relaunch the rather outdated RadioShack site just in time for the business’s 100th anniversary in 2021. Since this composing the website currently states that sales have actually been momentarily halted to permit inventory restructuring, though it’s unclear if this is straight related to the buyout or not. Getting a precise count of just how much merchandise the business still has on hand after shuttering the majority of their physical places in 2017 definitely sounds like something the new owners would want to do.
We all know how that story ended.
RadioShack’s shambling remains were offered another shock of life today when they were bought by another business that prepares to relaunch the once-great retailer as an online-focused brand name.
The shop’s remains were bought by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a start-up founded in 2019 that’s been scooping up brands from other faded retail giants also, including Pier 1, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Dressbarn, and more. REV says RadioShack’s website currently has “strong existing sales and sales potential,” and the company is “confident” it can even more raise awareness of the brand globally.
REV claims it’s successfully turned around other business it’s introduced as online brands. The Wall Street Journal reported that Dressbarn more than doubled its revenue in between the second and first quarter of 2020.
RadioShack was established in 1921 and became a retail staple in the ’80s and ’90s for anyone looking to get tech essentials. REV didn’t say whether those RadioShack licenses would stick around. Firewire 400 To 800 Radioshack
REV states it will “soon relaunch” RadioShack’s website. So for those of you still clinging on to fond memories of the store, there’ll be a familiar enough place to go when you want to buy costly HDMI cable televisions and knockoff headphones.


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Post By Janet Arvia
What do 2.1 billion mobile devices, 3.2 trillion mobile sessions and 940,000 applications add up to? Metrics. And if analytics experts show marketing strategists anything, it’s that the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the behavioral preferences of last year’s mobile app users.
Rising to the Occasion
Flurry Analytics reports that overall mobile app usage increased by 11% from the previous year. The number seems almost paltry compared to time spent in apps which jumped by 69%. According to a new report from Adobe, time spent in shopping apps rose by 31% thanks to Amazon’s impressive 2016 holiday performance.
As the large screens on phablet devices become more popular (they received 41% of the global market last year), medium- and small-screened phone purchases will continue to plummet. Also down is time spent in mobile gaming. Its 4% decline comes as a bit of a surprise considering 2016’s phenomenal Pokémon GO success. Equally disheartening are the findings from Liftoff’s most recent study that state North America’s gaming cost-per-install is 260% more than Europe’s 20% CPI. On the upside, the report reveals women are the market to target in 2017 since female gamers cost less to acquire and are more engaged consumers than men.
With a year over year (YoY) session growth of 44%, messaging and social apps are sitting pretty since the 2016 increase is up by 394% from 2015. Yet for every YoY ying, there’s a YoY yang. And the rise of social media applications affected time spent on music, media and entertainment mobile apps (which rose by a mere 1% YoY) while the personalization category experienced a massive 46% drop in session usage growth over the year. Whether 2017’s YoY stats and other mobile app user behavior patterns will yo-yo up or down remains to be seen for now.


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The principle lies behind a new device that aims to cut electricity use by warning people of how much they pay to keep the lights on, the heating high and the washing machine running at maximum temperature. Until now, electric meters have been hidden away in cupboards and, even when examined, offer information in an unfriendly format, listing the thousands of units consumed since the device was fitted, which means nothing to normal people.
Now a range of easy-to-fit devices are on sale that show the amount of electricity being used - and often wasted - in more shocking terms such as pounds, pence and carbon emissions. The result is that people use less power. A review of the available products in the Guardian last week pointed out problems with all of them (not least their cost, £70 or more) but these are outweighed by the benefits - smaller bills and lower energy consumption.
The best device seems to be the Australian-designed Electrisave. The next step must be meters for gas (the source of a lot of household carbon emissions) and perhaps water. But keeping an eye on electricity is a money-saving, eco-sound good start.


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11 Bit Studios has been busy this month. A few weeks ago they released the much lauded This War of Mine. Following rapidly on the heels of that release, is Spacecom, which is now available to download in the Google Play Store. If you are a fan of strategy games that test your tactical abilities, Spacecom may be the game that you have been waiting for.
So Rovio has announced that an official sequel to Angry Birds will be arriving at the end of this month. That's right Angry Bird fans, you will soon be able to download Angry Birds 2 on July 30th. The announcement originally came via a Tweet (followed by an official blog post) from the official Angry Birds account with a statement of "Bigger. Badder. Birdier. July 30th". Accompanying the statement was a giant number 2 image with a very angry looking red bird inside the two.
Set to release on July 30th, A Day in the Woods is a puzzle game released by RetroEpic Software. A Day in the Woods is a puzzler based on the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood. The inspiration behind the gameplay is a take on the sliding puzzle, if you remember playing with those as a child.
Curse gaming seems to have been busy this Summer as the company has released another application for Android, this time for Futhead. The application, sporting the same name, is all about tracking stats, prices, and official FUT releases as well. It is integrated into the official Futhead site as well, so some of those features are also available within the application.
Bow Hunter 2015 is a hunting simulation arcade game, similar to games like Deer Hunter, where players use different types of bows in their hunting adventures. There's no guns in this game like other hunting games, it's all about archery, whether it be crossbows, compound bows, or other kinds.
Blizzard last week announced the next big update that will be coming to Hearthstone next month called The Grand Tournament. They also announced that there would be a pre-order available for folks wanting to grab a bunch of Grand Tournament boost packs now, and have them ready to open when the expansion arrives.
Developed by Bitmap Brothers, Z Steel Soldiers is an RTS game now out for Android; heretofore, the game had been in a beta phase for non-Tegra based devices, and fully available for folks with a Tegra-based device. Quite a few non-Tegra users have been waiting for this game, so now you can play it.
Back in June 2015 Razer's Forge TV bundle appeared on the Google Play store in the device section. The bundle came with the Forge TV unit as well as one Serval game controller as well for a singular price. However, if you needed a second controller, you would have to go elsewhere to buy it... until now. Razer now has the Serval controller on Google Play for sale on its own.
Devolver Digital has announced a new point-and-click adventure game, or as they call it a hugventure game, called Dropsy The Clown which will be arriving later this year on multiple platforms including Android. Dropsy is the master of warm and damp hugs, which sounds both comforting and odd at the same time.
A little under a week ago we reported on a pretty cool looking Augmented Reality game called Clandestine: Anomaly. While we had a trailer to show, that video really didn't have any gameplay to take a look at. Well the developers have released a new video which is pretty much only gameplay, so now everyone can see what that actually looks like.


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Iowa is currently willing to start first five cannabis stores that are medical
What the law states enabling the limited usage of medical cannabidiol (CBD) in Iowa was finalized in 2017. And patients that are registered hawaii will finally have the ability to obtain their fingers on appropriate cannabis items as five dispensaries available their doorways on Saturday.
The Health Cannabidiol Act
Then-Governor Terry Branstad finalized the health Cannabidiol Act into legislation in 2017. The law that is new as much as two in-state operations to develop cannabis plants and process CBD products with as much as 3 per cent THC content. These CBD services and products will soon be distributed by five cannabis that are medical dispensaries authorized by hawaii.
The healthcare Cannabidiol Act is definitely a revision up to a 2014 law that decriminalized cannabis oil for individuals struggling with epilepsy. This brand new legislation had been modeled after Minnesota’s regulations, which have been set up for decades.
Worldwide CBD Exchange
For patients to be eligible for CBD-based therapy, they require a physician to certify they have one of the several authorized conditions that are medical can usually be treated with CBD. A board is tasked to oversee and http://cbdoildelivery.org upgrade the legislation pertaining to doctor’s certification, with the Iowa Board of Medicine.
State legislation calls for every thing to be operational by already Dec. 1, 2018.
Iowa’s legislation defines cannabidiol that is medical any approved cannabis strain, but just with as much as 3 per cent associated with the compound tetrahydrocannabinol that is psychoactive or THC.
What the law states enables pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extracts, that may add inhaled items like nebulizers. Nonetheless, the business making all appropriatemedical cannabis products for sale in the continuing state— MedPharm — just sells tinctures, capsules, and creams.
Iowa patients with any “debilitating medical condition” can acquire a prescription for the drug. Included in these are cancer tumors clients struggling with serious or chronic discomfort, severe sickness, sickness, or wasting that is severe. Additionally qualified are clients that have:
– numerous sclerosis with serious and persistent muscle mass spasms
– epileptic seizures
– Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
– Crohn’s illness
– Parkinson’s disease
– untreatable pain
Patients that are terminally sick, with endurance of lower than a year, and whom suffer from serious discomfort, sickness, severe wasting, and serious vomiting are also qualified to utilize cannabis that are medical.
Iowa’s Board of Medicine can also be looking at including serious, intractable pediatric autism with aggressive or harmful behavior when you look at the listing of qualified conditions.
Individual registration and application procedure
So that you can get cannabidiol items, clients or main caregivers are first required to download a registration kind, take the form then with their physicians and have now them signal it. Which means that a medical practitioner is certifying that the individual has certainly one of the qualifying conditions.
Clients who possess been already certified by their health practitioners must then complete a enrollment application and submit this combined with type finalized by their physician. In addition they need certainly to incorporate a $100 cost for the client registration card and a legitimate id picture.
The Iowa Department of Public wellness then notifies the clients if their application happens to be authorized. Qualified clients and caregivers are able to visit their Department of Transportation workplace to have their registration card.
Clients and caregivers with legitimate enrollment cards can visit one of nowfive medical cannabidiol dispensaries across the state to obtain their medicine.
Numerous medical practioners are nevertheless hesitant
Regarding the state’s significantly more than 7,000 physicians, just about 325 have actually certified patients to be eligible for medical cannabidiol. This will be partly because most of them continue to be unpleasant concerning the part they perform when you look at the New cannabis that are medical.


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Reliance on reactive security alone can leave them more exposed than ever in the face of expanding attack vectors.
Microsoft study analyses how Malaysia is embracing AI and its impact on the country’s businesses and economy.
Inks MOU to develop new technology skills focusing on cloud and security.
Suite helps multinational organisations improve financial operational effectiveness and efficiency.
Businesses need to be agile yet secure to adapt to Industry 4.0.
Edwin Yapp scours the Net and speaks to some analysts about the US$34 billion deal.
Government body created to encourage collaboration between academia, entrepreneurs and MNCs makes it mark in digital healthcare.
Five-year collaboration aims to drive innovation and adoption of digital services across Southeast Asia.
Programmes target general population and tech-savvy professionals to equip them with AI knowledge and skills.
Tin Men Fund I has a target size of US$100 million and announces its first close.